Revitalizing Warehouse Districts: The Design District

[Metro Jacksonville]

Revitalizing Warehouse Districts: The Design District



Going to the Miami Design District is a journey not only of place but also of emotion; imagine the delight of discovering something around every corner; a fascinating piece of art, an exotic dish or a chair you never knew you had to have.


Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-nov-revitalizing-warehouse-districts-the-design-district

[Noone]

Great work.

Still looking for that parking meter.

The one pic looked like a handicapped spot with free parking in front and behind. Very inviting.

Field, North Miami and anyone else but I just had a thought. How about the Bay St. Pier Park District?

Robins has amassed 18 buildings.

How about 10 containers? various sizes and uses? We are a port city.

Lets get to Work- Just not in Jacksonville.

[strider]

http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/gallery/14810586_H2wFY#1104856094_osEAN
Interesting artwork on the side of the building.

If that was in Jacksonville, the building owner would be cited for graffiti.

Sort of says a lot about why progress is a bit slow here.

While some of the plans shown to us for the warehouse district in Springfield have the warehouses mostly residential, it has always made more sense to me to keep them commercial and industrial.  Things like custom furniture making, glass blowing, ceramics and even things like custom car work and custom boat building can be open for the public to view.  Be entertained and shop at the some time.  Think of how popular the reality TV shows are about such things. That would, of course promote eateries and clubs  as well, if not next door, but down the road, just a short street car ride away. In my mind, none of it works without the fixed base transportation in place, and preferably street car to make it a destination for more than just local residents.

[finehoe]

Still looking for that parking meter.

The Design District has parking meters.  Look at the picture of the Spinello Gallery and the picture of the mural and you will see them.

[Captain Zissou]

He quickly realized that he could accomplish extraordinary success by buying a critical mass of undervalued property then implementing a clear vision of what that property could become.

What a genius!!! If only someone so visionary would be sent to save our fair city as well!!!!

What a common sense plan, but when executed well, made a huge difference.  I would love to do something similar in La Villa or Springfield.  We do have a great building stock to make something like this of our own.  We just need a few people with a little money and a lot of energy to get this moving. 

[thelakelander]

Still looking for that parking meter.

The Design District has parking meters.  Look at the picture of the Spinello Gallery and the picture of the mural and you will see them.

They have smart meters in South Florida.  Typically, there's one meter per block, you purchase your time on that meter and it gives you a receipt that you stick on your dashboard.


A smart meter in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

[finehoe]

They have smart meters in South Florida.  

Whatever you call them, they serve the same purpose.  In places other than Jacksonville, it's difficult to make the argument that meters are responsible for killing an area's vitality.

[thelakelander]

^I'm not making an argument for or against meters and that's not reflected in the article.  I was just responding to the posts made by you and Noone.  They have meters in South Florida, they're just more end user friendly (accept credit cards, dimes, nickels, etc.).  However, they also have better mass transit, so depending on what district you're in, you don't need a car at all.  For example, I took an image of the meter in Fort Lauderdale because I drove in and parked on the street.  On the other hand, I didn't think about meters in Brickell and Downtown Miami because I took the train in from Medley.  Nevertheless, I did notice that a couple of private surface parking lots in the heart of Miami were around $5/day.

[finehoe]

^^No, but that seemed to be Noone's point and it is a common refrain on the MJ forums that parking meters are somehow to blame for nobody going downtown.  I'm simply noting that paying for on-street parking is a way of life in most American cities, so it is hardly the business-killer it is often made out to be by some on MJ.  People don't stay away from downtown Jacksonville because they have to pay to park, they stay away because there is nothing there that makes it worthwhile to pay to park.

[thelakelander]

Downtown not being end user friendly is the problem.  Parking enforcement and outdated meters help play a role in that but those are a couple of many problems that downtown has to deal with.

[finehoe]

Parking enforcement and outdated meters help play a role in that but those are a couple of many problems that downtown has to deal with.

An extremely minor role.  You could install smart meters, or eliminate them completely tomorrow, and there would still be no reason for people to go there.

[thelakelander]

There are already several businesses operating in downtown.  I would say smart meters combined with end user friendly parking enforcement would enhance opportunities for them.  End users should not feel like they are being punished for visiting downtown.

[finehoe]

It wasn't my intention to highjack this thread.

If you haven't been to the Design District, it should be on your list of things to do next time you're in Miami.

It's a little high-end to transfer directly to Springfield, but the concept of a unified district is one that could be a success in our fair city.

[thelakelander]

In Springfield, I could see incorporating and building around the industry and businesses that are already in the district.  If I can remember correctly, there's Swisher, a millwork manufacturer, an auction house, recycler and Habijax operating in that area.  I don't know if an unified theme is necessary but all the businesses there appear to be locally owned and operated.  From a historical perspective, it was a pretty diverse mix of establishments operating there.

[Bativac]

^^No, but that seemed to be Noone's point and it is a common refrain on the MJ forums that parking meters are somehow to blame for nobody going downtown.  I'm simply noting that paying for on-street parking is a way of life in most American cities, so it is hardly the business-killer it is often made out to be by some on MJ.  People don't stay away from downtown Jacksonville because they have to pay to park, they stay away because there is nothing there that makes it worthwhile to pay to park.

This, a thousand times.

Traveling up the east coast a couple weeks back, we paid to park in NYC, Boston, Washington DC and a couple other small cities in New Hampshire and Connecticut. Millions of people paid to park because there was stuff to do (other than the handful of attractions and lunch eateries in downtown Jax).

Of course, the parking doesn't help.

Back to the topic at hand, it would be awesome to see something like what was done in Miami happen in Jax. It would take some serious money and somebody with vision (and patience) behind it. But having driven around some of the abandoned warehouses pictured, I can totally see that... With or without metered parking.